“This was an extremely important match for us as we wanted to get the upper hand early in league, set the precedent for when we have to face them down the road at their place,” said Fields Owens, who led Carson with 14 kills, two blocks and two aces. “We played together tonight and we made sure that at key points in the match everyone was focused on what we needed to do.”

It was a seesaw affair early with Carson taking an 11-9 lead on the strength of two Fields Owens kills and a kill by Jaedynn Devoux. Narbonne (8-5) countered with kills by Imani DeBose and Athena Sio. However, Carson (13-8, 4-0) kept pushing and went up 23-19 late and won the game on a kill from Devoux.

In the second game, Carson continued to dominate despite uncharacteristic unforced errors by the Colts. Junior Raven Green had two of her six kills in the second game as she joined Fields Owens and Devoux in the Carson attack to build a 17-9 advantage. The Colts closed it out with good serving by Fields Owens and Iosua, with Fields Owens collecting the final point on a resounding kill.

“We had some shaky moments there in the match tonight and it definitely affected us not having Naomi Tanaka,” Carson coach Daniella Kline said. “Some other players had to step up, which is where our experience came into play. Chloe has been instrumental for us this year in filling the gaps we have needed her to fill and she has gelled well with the team.”

Game three was another back-and-forth affair as Narbonne jumped out to an early 9-7 lead behind Sio and DeBose. Carson rallied behind Fields Owens and Devoux to take a 24-18 lead. Narbonne staved off five match points, cutting Carson’s lead to a single point until Iosua made a perfect set to Devoux, who slammed it down on match point.

“Vila’s (Iosua) a gamer and is always super competitive,” Kline said. “She is a perfect quarterback for our team as she puts the ball in the right places for our hitters.”

With the victory, Carson remains undefeated in the Marine League.

“I’m proud of the way the team came together and make the plays to help us win,” said Iosua, who had 30 assists and two kills. “This was a great team victory tonight, but our ultimate goal is to be playing in the CIF finals at the end of the year.”

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